Tag: book review

Book Review: The Princess and the Rogue, by Kate Bateman

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: The Princess and the Rogue
Author: Kate Bateman
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

Bow Street agent Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray, doesn’t believe in love―until a passionate kiss with a beautiful stranger in a brothel forces him to reconsider. When the mysterious woman is linked to an intrigue involving a missing Russian princess, however, Seb realizes her air of innocence was too good to be true.

Princess Anastasia Denisova has been hiding in London as plain ‘Anna Brown’. With a dangerous traitor hot on her trail, her best option is to accept Wolff’s offer of protection―and accommodation―at his gambling hell. But living in such close quarters, and aiding Wolff in his Bow Street cases, fans the flames of their mutual attraction. If Anya’s true identity is revealed, does their romance stand a chance? Could a princess ever marry a rogue?

I enjoyed this quick read. Anna was a lot of fun:  a princess determined to choose her own future, no matter the cost—and with the attitude and strength to carry through. Seb was kind of a jerk at first, but he grew on me a bit. I’d like to read the first two books in this series at some point. Solid writing and entertaining characters made this a fun read.

Kate Bateman is a bestselling author. The Princess and the Rogue is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Last to See Her, by Courtney Evan Tate

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title: The Last to See Her
Author: Courtney Evan Tate
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

A woman disappears into the dark city night…

Gen is on the verge of a divorce from her cheating husband. When her sister, Meg, has a convention to attend in the Big Apple, she invites Gen along to celebrate her newly found freedom. But the perfect sisters’ getaway quickly goes awry when a tipsy Gen defiantly throws her wedding ring off the hotel room’s balcony. Then, wanting some fresh air, she decides to take a late-evening walk alone and vanishes without a trace.

The investigation that follows uncovers secrets—and betrayals—between sisters and spouses that will twist the truth in on itself until nothing is clear.

What really happened to Gen and who, besides Meg, was the last to see her?

This had potential. But I didn’t really care for any of the characters—except the detective—so that definitely detracted. I’m not a fan of unreliable narrators, and I felt like both Gen and Meg were unreliable. Even when I finished the book, I didn’t have a clear picture of what happened, especially in the sisters’ individual marriages. Good writing and details, but the characters made this not a good fit for me.

Courtney Evan Tate lives in Florida. The Last to See Her is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Last Christmas Cowboy, by Maisey Yates

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title: The Last Christmas Cowboy
Author: Maisey Yates
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

This Christmas, cowgirl Rose Daniels is determined to play matchmaker to ensure her beloved sister will meet someone under the mistletoe. She enlists the reluctant help of family friend Logan Heath, but his insistence that she doesn’t understand chemistry is exasperating. Until they share one electrifying moment that shows her exactly what chemistry is all about, and it becomes outrageously, irresistibly intriguing…

Logan hates the holidays. They are a painful reminder of the family he lost and a time of year he always wants to spend on his own. But Rose refuses to let him. Logan’s worked for years to keep his attraction to her under wraps—she’s his best friend’s youngest sister and she couldn’t be more off-limits. He’s the last cowboy that innocent Rose should ever kiss, but this Christmas, will Logan become the only cowboy she’ll ever want?

This is the second book in the Gold Valley series I’ve read. This was much better than The Hero of Hope Springs because I found the characters much less annoying and selfish. Rose seemed a lot younger than 23—not entirely surprising, considering how she grew up—but almost too naïve to be believable. I liked Logan, too, although his perceptions of what people were going to say or do were a bit unbelievable.

What bothered me:  the double standard for the men and women in the Daniels family. Rose is 23 and never even been kissed. Her sister Pansy was a virgin until her love interest swept into town, then she fell right into bed with him. Their older sister, Iris, has never been on a date. Yet, their brother, Ryder, and Logan, his best friend, have no problems with sleeping with whoever catches their eye and are definitely not okay with the sisters even thinking about sex. I am not okay with the message this sends. If it’s not okay for the women, it’s not okay for the men, either.

Maisy Yates is a bestselling author. The Last Christmas Cowboy is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: Happily This Christmas, by Susan Mallery

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title: Happily This Christmas
Author: Susan Mallery
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

Wynn Beauchene has a thriving business, a great kid and a mildly embarrassing crush on the guy next door—local cop Garrick McCabe. She’s a strong, independent woman who can’t help dreaming what-if about a man she barely knows. Until he needs her help…

Garrick’s pregnant daughter will be home for Christmas, and his house needs a woman’s touch. Garrick and his little girl were tight once and he’s hoping a small-town Christmas will bring her back to him. But thawing his daughter’s frosty attitude will take more than a few twinkle lights. Maybe sharing the holiday with Wynn and her son will remind her of the joy of family.

As the season works its magic on these wounded souls, Wynn realizes it’s time to stop punishing herself for a painful secret, while Garrick remains haunted by the ghosts of past mistakes. Will he allow Wynn to open the only gift she truly wants—his heart?

I haven’t read any of the previous books in the Happily Inc series, but that isn’t an issue with these standalones. I enjoyed this read a lot! Wynn’s snark made me laugh and Garrick—usually so capable—is totally useless when it comes to dealing with his pregnant daughter. Who is, frankly, awful to everyone. I really disliked her until the last third of the book. This is a solid read with great characters, and I recommend it.

Susan Mallery is a bestselling author. Happily This Christmas is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: A Princess by Christmas, by Julia London

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title: A Princess by Christmas
Author: Julia London
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

After three years of mourning—and turning her dear deceased husband’s gazette into the ton’s sauciest source of fashion and gossip—Hollis Honeycutt feels her life has been strangely bereft of late… Her sister is living abroad, and her best friend moved to the country. What must a young widow of rank and reputation do? Why, transform her society gossip sheets into serious investigative news, starting with a rumored coup…and the rather dashing, mysterious gentleman whom Hollis suspects might be the villain of her first real story, and she is the only one who can write it.

Marek Brendan is investigating terrible rumors of treachery and treason that threaten his home country of Wesloria, but he must proceed with caution. No one can discover the truth. After all, who would ever believe he is Wesloria’s lost crown prince? Only Hollis Honeycutt’s cerulean-blue eyes seem to know more than she’s letting on—and worse, Marek can’t seem to resist her curious charms. But even as betrayal threatens a nation and a throne, nothing is quite so dangerous as the lovely young widow who’s determined to find the truth…and a prince of her own.

I enjoy reading linked standalones, so this was a fun return to old characters. I feel like the blurb is a little misleading, because Hollis is not looking for a prince of her own—or any man. She just wants people to take her writing seriously.  

Hollis is fun and saucy—why are the women in this serious so wildly unconventional? You cannot tell me royalty would be able to overlook some of the stunts they pull. Royal protocol wouldn’t allow it.—and she’s struggling with how her life and the people in it are changing. Marek just wants to keep to himself, but Hollis won’t let him. She’s like being hit by a truck. This was a quick, fun read.

Julia London is a bestselling author. A Princess by Christmas is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Truth, Lies, and Second Dates, by MaryJanice Davidson

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Truth, Lies, and Second Dates
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.0 out of 5

MaryJanice Davidson is a bestselling author. Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is her newest novel.

Captain Ava Capp has been flying from her past for a decade. She’d much rather leave it, and her home state, behind forever. But when she finds herself back in Minnesota, against her better judgment, everything goes sideways in a way she never expected it to.

M.E. Dr. Tom Baker has never forgotten Ava and the cold case she ran away from. When she shows up unexpectedly in town, in spite of himself, sparks fly. Which is terrible because he can’t stop his growing attraction to her. Can these two Type-A’s let their guards down and work together to put Ava’s tragic past behind her for good? And keep their hands off each other at the same time?

I’m all for snarky writing and poking fun at tropes, but, while I know that’s what this was, it didn’t feel like that. Instead it felt like a painful slog towards something I didn’t even care about with annoying people in tow. I honestly didn’t like any of the characters, except G.B., her flight attendant buddy, and I was zero percent invested in even finding out what was going on. Just not a good fit for me.

MaryJanice Davidson is a bestselling author. Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Mermaid from Jeju, by Sumi Hahn

Image belongs to Alcove Press.

Title:   The Mermaid from Jeju
Author: Sumi Hahn
Genre: Fiction, historical fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

In the aftermath of World War II, Goh Junja is a girl just coming into her own. She is the latest successful deep sea diver in a family of strong haenyeo. Confident she is a woman now, Junja urges her mother to allow her to make the Goh family’s annual trip to Mt. Halla, where they trade abalone and other sea delicacies for pork. Junja, a sea village girl, has never been to the mountains, where it smells like mushrooms and earth, and it is there she falls in love with a mountain boy Yang Suwol, who rescues her after a particularly harrowing journey. But when Junja returns one day later, it is just in time to see her mother take her last breath, beaten by the waves during a dive she was taking in Junja’s place.

Spiraling in grief, Junja sees her younger siblings sent to live with their estranged father, Suwol is gone, the ghost of her mother haunts their home–from the meticulously tended herb garden that has now begun to sprout weeds, to the field where their bed sheets are beaten. She has only her grandmother and herself. But the world moves on without Junja.

The political climate is perilous. Still reeling from Japan’s forced withdrawal from the peninsula, Korea is forced to accommodate the rapid establishment of US troops, and her grandmother, who lived through the Japanese invasion that led to Korea’s occupation understands the signs of danger all too well. When Suwol is arrested for working with and harboring communists, and the perils of post-WWII overtake her homelands, Junja must learn to navigate a tumultuous world unlike anything she’s ever known.

This is a gorgeous cover, isn’t it? I probably would have picked this book up for that reason alone, but the blurb intrigued me as well. And I’m glad I read this—although it’s not a happy, fluffy bunny book, by any means. This book is about sorrow and danger and unimaginable courage.

This isn’t a fast-paced book, although there’s a lot going on. The reader is firmly in Junja’s life and what happens to her, getting a feel for the culture and experiences she lives through in Jeju. If you’re looking for a deeply moving story, this is definitely the read for you.

Sumi Hahn was born in Korea. The Mermaid from Jeju is her first novel.

(Galley courtesy of Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #98

It’s been a good writing week! I wrote four book reviews, plus two other blog posts (November reading and the best books I read in November). I also got in four fiction writing sessions. I’m still figuring out my characters in the new story, but I’m having fun with it.

Happy writing!

Book Review: The Butterfly Effect, by Rachel Mans McKenny

Image belongs to Alcove Press.

Title: The Butterfly Effect
Author: Rachel Mans McKenny
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Is there such a thing as an anti-social butterfly? If there were, Greta Oto would know about it—and totally relate. Greta far prefers the company of bugs to humans, and that’s okay, because people don’t seem to like her all that much anyway, with the exception of her twin brother, Danny, though they’ve recently had a falling out. So when she lands a research gig in the rainforest, she leaves it all behind.

But when Greta learns that Danny has suffered an aneurysm and is now hospitalized, she abandons her research and hurries home to the middle of nowhere America to be there for her brother. But there’s only so much she can do, and unfortunately just like insects, humans don’t stay cooped up in their hives either–they buzz about and… socialize. Coming home means confronting all that she left behind, including her lousy soon-to-be sister-in-law, her estranged mother, and her ex-boyfriend Brandon who has conveniently found a new non-lab-exclusive partner with shiny hair, perfect teeth, and can actually remember the names of the people she meets right away. Being that Brandon runs the only butterfly conservatory in town, and her dissertation is now in jeopardy, taking that job, being back home, it’s all creating chaos of Greta’s perfectly catalogued and compartmentalized world.

Once I got past the idea that Greta was just an unlikable person, I enjoyed this book. But yeah, Greta is kind of a jerk. I mean, I get her being uncomfortable around people and not having any idea what to say, but…being deliberately mean and unfeeling is a bit much.

Good writing here and I like the concept—entomology fascinates me, and I’d love to work in the rainforest or a butterfly conservatory—but Greta was unlikable enough to detract from the read. And…the cover makes this look like a light rom com read, but it’s not. It’s really much more a journey of discovery for someone who’s never bothered to care about anyone besides herself.

Rachel Mans McKenny is from the Midwest. The Butterfly Effect is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.)

The Best Books I Read in November (2020)

In November, I read 24 books, bringing my total to the year for 293 books. Some of those books were really good. Here are the ones I enjoyed the most:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I have no idea how many times I’ve read this, but I still love it! And I cry every single time.

Defending the Galaxy, by Maria V. Snyder. I am a huge fan of Snyder’s writing—I love the Study series—but everything else is great, too. This was a great conclusion to her newest trilogy.

The Little Shop of Found Things and The Chocolate House, by Paula Brackston. I read The Garden of Promises and Lies in October and thought I’d read the first book in the series and somehow skipped the second, so I decided to re-read. Now I don’t think I had read the first one, but I’m all caught up anyway. These books were really great!